AsianFin -- An airlift operation began Thursday to repatriate more than 1,000 Chinese nationals who had been forced to work at online scam centers in eastern Myanmar. The workers were initially brought across the border to Thailand before boarding chartered flights back to China.

This operation is the result of coordinated efforts between Thailand, China, and Myanmar over the past month to shut down the illegal scam centers. These centers had defrauded victims globally, employing deceptive tactics like fake romance schemes, fraudulent investment opportunities, and illegal gambling operations.

It’s estimated that hundreds of thousands of people, mainly from Southeast Asia and beyond, have been lured into working at similar centers across Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. Many of them were recruited under false pretenses for legitimate jobs, only to find themselves trapped in conditions resembling virtual slavery.

Recent reports suggest that as many as 10,000 people may eventually be repatriated from Myanmar, as the crackdown on these scam centers intensifies.